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Q.&A.:Getting the Internet Up in the Air

By J.d. Biersdorfer May 3, 2010 10:38 amMay 3, 2010 10:38 am

Q.

How is it possible to get Internet access on an airplane?

A.

Depending on the type of flight you’re on, airborne Internet service is typically available either by satellite or from a series of land-based communications towers that are within range as the plane passes overhead. The plane itself has equipment on board to receive the Internet signal and turn the aircraft into a flying hot spot for laptop- and smartphone-wielding passengers.

The satellite method is often used on overseas flights where ground-based towers 0bviously aren’t possible. Boeing’s Connexion service first took off on May 17, 2004, on a Lufthansa flight from Munich to Los Angeles. Even though Boeing discontinued the Connexion service in August 2006 because of cost and lack of demand, the concept of satellite-based Internet access for planes is still flying with companies like Row 44 working with airlines to include other in-flight services like live television and text messaging for mobile phones.

Domestic flights over land tend to use the ground-based systems for beaming Internet service into the aircraft’s cabin. One major provider, Gogo Inflight Internet, uses cellular towers from the nationwide Aircell network to maintain an Internet connection. The service is usually available after the plane reaches an altitude of 10,000 feet and the cabin crew gives the O.K. for passengers to turn on their portable electronic devices.

Prices for inflight Wi-Fi service vary. Laptop access to Gogo’s network for a New York to San Francisco flight is about $13 and connection speeds are on par with mobile broadband instead of faster, land-based Internet connections. But if you just can’t stay offline even while in the air for work or Facebook, it’s probably a small price to pay.

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